About Cookies and how OWL uses Cookies

What are cookies?

Cookies are tiny files that your web browser stores on your computer at the request of a website. They store little bits of information to help the website you're visiting to remember something about your visit or a preference you might have made. Cookies can also be used to track which pages you've visited on a website so the site owners can analyse usage of their site. Some websites use cookies to provide personalised adverts, but we don't do that here on OWL.

There are two types of cookies: session cookies and persistent cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your computer after you have left the website for a period of time determined by the site owners. Session cookies are temporary and exist for only as long as you are visiting the site. As soon as you close your browser the session cookies are deleted. To learn more about cookies read the Wikipedia entry.

Why are we telling you this?

UK law requires all websites hosted in the UK, or intended for a UK audience, to be open and transparent with visitors to make it clear how cookies are used on the site.

Cookie Policy

We use cookies only for the reasons given below. OWL may not function as expected without the use of some essential cookies. You can disable non-essential cookies via the consent notice shown on OWL's home page. Alternatively, the end of this page provides guidance on how to manually disable cookies if you so wish.

How does OWL use cookies?

OWL uses cookies for the following purposes:

  • Analytics - anonymous information is collected about how you use OWL so we can tell how many visitors we've had, how many have visited before, etc. No personal information is collected.
  • Session persistence - to track which of our servers you're using and if you log into OWL these cookies will help keep you logged in.
  • Convenience - makes logging in for repeat visitors a slightly more convenient experience.
  • Preferences - only if you log into OWL some simple preferences will be stored but they do not include personal information. 

Details of cookies used

Essential/Necessary Cookies

  • Jsessionid: A unique ID used to remember the user's actions they've taken on the website and to ensure the correct information is served back to them. Expires immediately after the session has ended.
  • Serverid: A unique ID used to remember which of our servers the visitor is using. Expires immediately after the session has ended.

Analytical Cookies

  • _ga: Added by Google Analytics. Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how a visitor uses the website. Expires after 13 months.
  • _gat: Added by Google Analytics. Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rate. Expires after 1 hour.
  • _gid: Added by Google Analytics. Registers as a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. Expires after 1 day.

Convenience Cookies

  • Masteryodasays: Used to recognise if a visitor has attempted to log in to the website before. Expires after 3 months.

Preference Cookies

  • Editorformat: Remembers if the user used OWL's HTML or plain text editor. Expires immediately after the session has ended.
  • Proxyradius: Remembers the radius last used for viewing proximity messages. Expires immediately after the session has ended.

What if you don't want cookies stored on your computer?

There are a few options available to you in order of practicality:

  • Reject the cookies when prompted by our cookie consent notice on the home page, or press the "Manage cookie preferences" button below.
  • Do not submit information to a website, register, or log in.
  • Disable persistent cookies in your browser.
  • Delete the cookies yourself now or when you have finished using the website.

How to disable cookies

You can reject the cookies when prompted by our cookie consent notice on the home page, or tapping on the "Manage cookie preferences" button at the end of this page.

Essential cookies will be set regardless but you can delete them manually if you wish. Please note it is not recommended to do this, or to disable cookies. We cannot provide you with any support if you choose to do so. The information we provide here so you can make an informed choice.

If you completely disable cookies then many websites won't function as you expect them to. For example, shopping baskets might forget what you put in them or you might get thrown out of a site after logging in. If you really want to disable cookies then consider disabling persistent cookies only and allow session (temporary) cookies to remain enabled. This will increase the likelihood of websites working correctly while still preventing cookies being stored on your hard drive after you've closed your browser.

Each make of web browser has a different way of disabling persistent cookies. It's not possible to maintain a detailed and up to date guide on how to do this as there are so many browsers with so many versions, but we've outlined below how to do this in a few popular browsers. Please note the method does vary between versions of the same browser and any changes you make to your browser's settings is done at your own risk.

Chrome: If you don't want Google to set any analytical cookies you can disable them. At the top right, click More (three vertical dots), then click Settings. Click on Privacy and security. Then select Third party cookies. Select your preferred options from: Allow third party cookies, Block third party cookies in incognito mode, Block third-party cookies.

Firefox: Go to the Tools menu and select Options. Click on the Privacy tab and change the History option from "Remember history" to "Use custom settings for history". To temporarily keep cookies for the duration of your session and to have them automatically deleted when you finish, change the option for "Keep until" from "they expire" to "I close Firefox". This will allow most websites to function properly. If you want to completely disable cookies uncheck "Accept cookies from sites", but expect some sites not to behave as expected.

Edge: At the top right, click More (three vertical dots), then click Settings. Click on Cookies and site permissions. Then select Manage and delete cookies and site data. Toggle the options to disable “Allow sites to save and read cookie data”, also “Block third-party cookies.

Safari: Go to Preferences and then to Privacy. There is an option to block all cookies.